


A Worthy Foe

by osprey_archer



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 05:44:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5117657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/osprey_archer/pseuds/osprey_archer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper confronts Natalie Rushman about her true identity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Worthy Foe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [paperclipbitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperclipbitch/gifts).



Natasha arrived a few minutes early to her meeting with Pepper. It wasn’t her usual habit to be early anywhere; but Natalie Rushman, she had decided, was an early bird gets the worm sort of person, and always got everywhere early, preferably with a latte in hand. 

Not that Natasha had a latte with her right now – unfortunately, given the early hour. But her coworkers in accounting always had Starbucks, and Natasha intended to incorporate that into her cover. 

She rather expected Pepper to make her wait. But the receptionist showed Natasha right into Pepper’s spacious new office, and Natasha crossed the bare room to stand in front of Pepper’s desk. 

Pepper closed her laptop just as the door swung shut. “Thank you for being so prompt, Natalia,” she said. 

Natasha didn’t twitch at the sound of her birth name. “It’s Natalie,” she corrected.

Pepper didn’t even pretend to consider the correction. “You’re good,” she said. She stood up. “I hear you’re one of SHIELD’s best.” 

In her high heels, Pepper stood more than half a foot taller than Natasha. Natasha shrunk back, holding her clipboard closer to her chest, like an anxious schoolgirl clutching her books. Pepper had figured it out; no flies on her. A worthy opponent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Natasha protested, and laughed anxiously. 

Pepper didn’t falter at Natasha’s pretense of vulnerability. She leaned forward, one palm flat on the desk. “Are they still angry at Tony for revealing that he’s Iron Man?” she asked. “Did they send you to kill him?”

On impulse, Natasha gave up her denials. She set aside her clipboard, placing it on Pepper’s desk with a little click, and stepped forward, closer to Pepper. “Is that what you think?” Natasha asked. She took another step forward, and another, fluid as a cat, until they stood almost toe to toe. “Then you’re brave to confront me all on your own,” Natasha said, tilting her head back to look into Pepper’s face. She could smell Pepper’s lipstick, lush and expensive. “I admire that.” 

Like all the best lies, it was mostly truth. Pepper was brave, and Natasha did admire it, and it would not have mattered one bit if assassinating either Pepper or Tony had been her assignment.

Pepper was smiling. “Does that act work?” 

Natasha leaned in, standing on tiptoe so she could whisper in Pepper’s ear. “It got me close enough to snap your neck,” she murmured, her voice barely more than a breath. 

“But you’re not going to.”

Pepper sounded cool, authoritative. But Natasha could see her pulse fluttering in her throat. 

“What makes you so sure?” 

“If you were going to kill me, you wouldn’t go to all this trouble to infiltrate,” Pepper said. “So you’re here for information.” She put her hand on Natasha’s shoulder, using it to push Natasha back down. “Either you tell me what you’re after, and if I think we can benefit each other, maybe I’ll help you get it. Or you keep quiet, and I’ll fire you, and that’s the end of that.”

Natasha looked up into Pepper’s face. “That’s not the end,” she said, and shook her head. “They’ll just send someone else.”

“I know,” Pepper said. She smiled again, polite but vulpine. “But I’d rather work with you.”

Natasha almost laughed at the transparency of that ploy. But she kept silent, thoughtful, and Pepper stepped away from her, to give her space to think. She sat down at her desk and opened her laptop again. Natasha glanced at the screen’s reflection in the window.

Candy Crush. Pepper knew better than to bring up any important document with a spy in the room. 

Natasha allowed herself to smile then. Her stated mission was merely to gather information about Tony Stark. But, after all, it was always a worthwhile endeavor to gather new allies. 

And what was a worthy foe but a possible ally, waiting for a reason to join forces? 

“All right,” said Natasha. She leaned against Pepper’s desk, arms folded over her chest. “Let’s play ball.” 


End file.
